Hillside-excavator.



M. G. BUNNELL.

HILLSIDE BXGAVATOE.

APPLIOATION FILED JULY 1, 1909. 1, 125, 9 Patented 12111.19, 1915.

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HILLSIDE BXGAVATOH.

APPLICATION FILED JULY 1, 1909.

1,125,896, Patented Jan.19,1915.

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THE NORRIS PETERS (20., PHOTO-LITHO.. WASHING rON. D. C.

M. G. BUNNELL.

HILLSIDE EXGAVATOR.

1,125,896, Patented Jan.19, 1915.

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MORTON G. BUNNELL, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, ASSIGNOR TO FREDERICK G.AUSTIN, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS.

HILLSIDE-EXGAVATO-R.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Jan. 11%), 1915.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, MORTON G. BUNNELL, a citizen of the United States ofAmerica, and resident of Chicago, Cook county, Illinois, have invented acertain new and useful Improvement in Hillside-Excavators, of which thefollowing is a specification.

My invention relates to excavators for making ditches.

It relates more particularly to excavators in which a runway is employedfor guiding the bucket that travels back and forth thereon. This runwayis of a shape to determine the cross sectional contour of the ditch,being arranged to extend crosswise of the latter. The bucket travelsdown on one side of the ditch, across the bottom thereof, and then upthe other side. The dirt thus scooped up by the bucket is dumped at oneside of the ditch. The runway is lowered as the depth of the ditchprogresses. Ordinarily, an excavator of this kind is adapted only forwork on level ground, and 1s not suitable for making ditches on ahillside.

The object of my invention is, therefore, to provide an excavator ofthis general type, adapted for making ditches on a hillslde, andprovided with means for leveling the body and runway, by up and downadjustment of the down hill side of the excavator, depending upon theslope or inclination of the hillside, whereby the ditch, although higherat one side than the other, will always be level at the bottom thereof.

To the foregoing and other useful ends, my invention consists in mattershereinafter set forth and claimed.

In the accompanying drawingsFigure l is a front elevation of anexcavator embodying the principles of my invention. Fig. 2 is a sideelevation of the same. Fig. 3 is a plan of the said machine.

As thus illustrated, my invention comprises a body A supported uponwheels B and C and a tractor D. The wheel B and tractor D are adapted totravel in the V- shaped ditch, while the wheel C is arranged to travelon the bank at the down hill side of the ditch. The wheel B and tractorD may be connected with the body in any suitable manner. The outriggerwheel 0 is provided with a yoke or arch c the upper end of which ispivoted at 0' to the lower end of the screw 0 This body is adjusted upand down on this screw, by means of a nut or hand wheel 0 The pivot 0provides an axis of self-ad ustment for the wheel C, which axis extendshorizontally in the direction of the ditch. Thus the wheel 0 can alwaysadjust itself to the angle of inclination of the hillside.

The substantially V-shaped runway E has pivoted outer sections 6, and isarranged to extend across the ditch at the head of the machine. The saidrunway is carried on a frame 6 that slides up and down on the frame F.This frame 6 is raised and lowered by any suitable means operated by thehand wheel G. The outer pivoted sections 6 are supported by cables orother flexible connections 6 that extend over sheaves e on the frame F.The ends of the cables or oon-- nections e are brought over the sheavesc on the frame F. Thelower ends of these cables 6 the runway E. Thus theweight of the runway is divided between the frames 6 and F, and as aresult only a portion of such weight is raised and lowered by themechanism operated by the wheel G. A bucket H is adapted to travel backand forth on the runway E, and is operated by a cable It. As shown thebucket is adapted to dump automatically in the manner set forth in inprior application Ser. No. 485,066, filed Mar. 22, 1909. However, anybucket arrangement may be used, so far as the broader aspects of myinvention are concerned.

A conveyer I extends from front to rear of the excavator at the downhill side thereof. This conveyer may be operated by any suitable powertransmitting connection with the engine on the body. It receives thedirt from the bucket and conveys the same to the rear of the wheel C. Inthis way the latter always travels ahead of the excavated dirt. There isa set of hoppers z' for the receiving end of the conveyer, and adischarge spout z" for the rear end thereof.

The engine-driven drums J on the body A are secured to the middlesection of are employed for operating the bucket cable It, in the wellknown manner.

lVith the arrangement disclosed, the wheel B and tractor D follow therunway in the narrow ditch cut by the bucket.

' Thus it will be seen that I provide an excavator of a character to cuta narrow ditch on a hillside.

What I claim as my invention is:

1.v In a side hill excavator, a runway, a bucket mounted to travel backand forth thereon, supporting means adapted to follow the runway in theditch cut by .the bucket, a wheel for one side of the excavator, wherebythe excavator is supported at one side of the ditch, and means forreceiving the dirt from the bucket and discharging the same to the rearof said wheel, but to one side of the ditch.

2. In a side hill excavator, a body, a runway supported thereon forbodily up and down adjustment, said runway conforming to the crosssectional contour of the ditch, a bucket mounted to travel back andforth on the runway, supporting means arranged to travel in the ditchbehind the runway, a wheel for one side of the excavator, and a conveyerfor receiving the dirt from the bucket and discharging the same to therear of the said wheel.

3. In a side hill excavator, a body, a transverse runway thereon, meanson said runway for carrying the dirt from the higher to the lower sideof the ditch, means resting in the ditch behind said runway, forsupporting the said body, and means bearing on the lower side of theditch, for holding the excavator in position, in combination withinstrumentalities for discharging the excavated dirt on to the groundbehind the said last mentioned means.

l. In a side hill excavator, a body, a transverse runway thereon, meanson said runway for carrying the dirt from the higher to the lower sideof the ditch, means resting on the ditch behind'said runway, forsupporting the said body, means bearing on the lower side of the ditch,for holding the excavator in position, and mechanism for keeping thesaid body level, in combination with instrumentalities for dischargingthe excavated dirt on to the ground behind the said last mentionedmeans.

5. In a side hill excavator, a body, a transverse runway thereon, meanson said runway for carrying the dirt from the higher to the lower sideof the ditch, means resting in the ditch behind said runway, forsupporting the said body, means bearing on the lower side of the ditch,for holding the excavator in position, and a longitudinal conveyerdisposed above the lower side of the ditch, adapted to receive the dirtand carry the same rearward to form a spoil bank behind said excavator.

6. In a side hill excavator, a body, a transverse runway thereon, meanson said runway for carrying the dirt from the higher to the lower sideof the ditch, means resting on the ditch behind said runway, forsupporting the said body, and means bearing on the lower side of theditch, for holding the excavator in position, mechanism for keeping thesaid body level, and a longitudinal conveyer disposed above the lowerside of the ditch, adapted to receive the dirt and carry the samerearward to form a spoil bank behind said excavator.

7. In a side hill excavator, a runway, a bucket mounted to travel backand forth thereon, supporting means adapted to'follow the runway in theditch cut by the bucket, a wheel for one side of the excavator, wherebythe excavator is unsupported at one side of the ditch, means forreceiving the dirt from the bucket and discharging the same to the rearof said supporting means, but to one side of the ditch, and means forpermitting said wheel to adjust itself to the angle of the hill.

8. In a side hill excavator, a body, a runway supported thereon forbodily up and down adjustment, said runway conforming to the crosssectional contour of the ditch, a bucket mounted to travel back andforth on the runway, supporting means arranged to travel in the ditchbehind the runway, a wheel for one side of the excavator, a conveyer forreceiving the dirt from the bucket and discharging the same to the rearof the said wheel, and means for permitting said wheel to adjust itselfto the angle of the hill.

9. A side hill excavator, comprising excavating means operatingcrosswise of the ditch for carrying the dirt from the higher to thelower side of the ditch, to form a spoil bank behind the excavator, saidmeans operating to smooth the face of said bank, and mechanism restingon the lower side of the ditch, to hold the excavator upright, havingprovisions for keeping the machine level, together with means fordischarging the dirt on to the ground behind said mechanism.

10. A side hill excavator, comprising excavating means operatingcrosswise of the ditch for carrying the dirt from the higher to thelower side of the ditch, to form a spoil bank behind the excavator, saidmeans operating to smooth the face of said bank, and mechanism restingon the.lower side of the ditch, to hold the excavator upright, havingprovisions for keepingthe machine level, said mechanism being alsoprovided with means for permitting self adjustment thereof to the angleof the hill, together With means for discharging the dirt on to theground behind said mechanism.

11. A side hill excavator comprising an excavating device for cutting aditch with if sloping sides, means for operating said device crosswiseof the ditch, supporting means adapted to follow said device in theditch, a Wheel for one side of the excavator, whereby the excavator issupported at one MORTON G. BUNNELL.

Witnesses:

WILLIAM Anrs, E. H. OLEGG.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressingthe Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. C.

